‘Do not go, Lio’: Hundreds of football fans rally to plea for Argentina star Messi’s return

A campaign to bring Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi back into the fold of his national team has been filtering from social media onto the streets of Buenos Aires since the Ballon D’or winner made a shock decision to quit the international stage.

The shock decision came as Messi, arguably the world’s greatest player, experienced heartbreak in an international final for the fourth time, having also lost in Copa America 2015, World Cup 2014, and again in 2007, when Brazil claimed South America’s top prize.

Brazilian legend Pele has joined the clamor for Messi’s return, saying that Argentina’s top goal scorer should reconsider.

“He got very upset, but maybe wait a little bit and he’ll forget because this has happened with a lot of good players,” the three time World Cup winner was quoted by Sky Sports as saying.